When types of data differ, as when dealing with characters, tables and images, the structures that define the data and the operation for editing the data also differ. For this reason, various application programs that conform to particular types of data are available. The user employs these application programs selectively depending upon the type of data to be edited. For example, the user employs a word processing program to edit text, a spreadsheet program to edit tables and an image editing program to edit images.
Thus, the general practice is for the user to choose an application program for each type of data to be edited. Usually, however, a document to be created by the user is more likely to be composed of various types of data, such as text and tables or text and images, than of only a single type of data, such as text only, tables only or images only. Accordingly, in order to create a target document that contains data of a plurality of types, the user is required to print out the data on an application-by-application basis utilizing the print function with which each application is equipped, and then combine the printouts in a desired order.
Alternatively, a program referred to as a so-called “office suite” that forms a single, integrated application by various applications is provided with a function through which a single document is constructed by combining data generated by each of the various applications. When such an integrated application is used, the user is capable of gathering data created in each of the applications into a single target document by a specific application included in the integrated application.
Further, a print preview function is well known in the art. When data that is a document or image that has been edited by an application program for editing documents or images is to be printed, the print preview function displays the image to be printed on a display screen in the print layout so that the user may preview the image before it is actually printed on paper. The print preview function is provided in the application program and is a function solely for displaying a preview image.
By utilizing the print preview function to check an image that will be printed, the user can re-edit the image by the application program until the ideal layout is achieved.
However, in a case where the user creates a single target document by combining printouts using various applications, the user, in order to, say, assign a page number to each page, is required to first print out all of the necessary data, assemble the printouts as a document and then decide the page number to be assigned. The page numbers decided are then written in by each application for every page of the manuscript created by the application (the page is referred to as a “logical page” or “manuscript page”). Even if an application program has a function for assigning page numbers, any discontinuous portions that may exist will still require that the user designate the page numbers for these portions. Further, if pages of a target document are rearranged, then the page numbers of these pages must be reassigned accordingly. Alternatively, even in a case where the format of a document is simply altered but the content of data is not changed, as when a plurality of manuscript pages are collected together on one page (referred to as a “physical page” or “printed page”) serving as a printout or a change is made from single-sided printing to double-sided printing, re-editing or re-printing by the application is required.
Thus, because the applications that are capable of managing data differ for each type of data, the user must supply his/her own manpower to interface the applications. This requires a great amount of labor on the part of the user and invites a decline in productivity. Furthermore, too much human intervention tends to produce errors.
On the other hand, in a case where a target document is created utilizing the aforementioned integrated application, various data can be laid out while still in the form of data without being printed out. As a result, less labor is required in comparison with the case where the target document is created by combining printouts. However, applications for editing and creating various data that are capable of being included in an integrated application are limited, and the user may not always be capable of using the application desired. In addition, a target document that has been created by an integrated application is a single document file, and management such as editing and output is carried out on a file-by-file basis. Even if it is attempted to set a format with regard to part of a document file, therefore, limitations imposed by the functions of the application are many, and altering format setting with regard to a portion whose format is to be changed necessitates re-printing. This is no different from the above-described method in that considerable labor is required and productivity suffers.
Furthermore, the print preview function possessed by conventional applications cannot display an image that reflects various types of printing setups, such as double-sided printing or bookbinding printing, as a preview image. Further, with recent printer drivers, consideration has been given to the provision of a print preview function that takes into account print settings that have been configured via the GUI of the printer driver. However, even if double-sided printing has been specified by the print settings, the front and back sides are displayed in order on the same plane and it is difficult for the user to distinguish which are the front and back sides. In addition, space may be wasted, depending upon the display area.